Villa Amerika in Prague was the summer palace of Vaclav Michna. Built by Kilian Ignac Dientzenhofer between 1712-1720, for two centuries this magnificent Baroque pleasure house attracted the aristocracy to its stylish interiors and well-manicured grounds.

Today, Villa Amerika houses a museum dedicated to the life and works of Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), one of the Czech Republic's greatest composers.

Dvořák was born near Prague, then part of the Austrian Empire. A composer of romantic music, his inspiration was drawn from the idioms and melodies of Moravian and Bohemia folk music.

Dvořák composed symphonic, choral and chamber music. His works include the New World Symphony, the Slavonic Dances, the American String Quartet and the Cello Concerto in B minor. He also wrote operas, of which the best known is Rusalka.

The Museum of Antonín Dvořák was established at Villa Amerika in 1932. It focuses on collecting, maintaining and displaying documents on the maestro´s life and works.

The collection comprises sheet music manuscripts, personal correspondence and other written material, works of art, period photographs, programmes, posters and personal objects.

These precious exhibits draw admirers of Antonín Dvořák from all over the world. For, although he spent most of his life in or near Prague, he lived 3 years in America as the director of the National Conservatory of Music, he visited England 9 times, often conducting his own works, and influenced by Tchaikovsky, he conducted orchestras in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Classical ConcertsFrom May to October, Villa Amerika presents a series of classical concerts / historical re-enactments entitled Wonderful Dvořák. These take place in the Music Salon, which boasts a wonderful ceiling fresco "Rise of Apollo" by Jan Ferdinand Schor and an imposing Baroque fireplace.

Performances are presented "living history" style, with the players dressed in period costume. The musicians/actors re-enact a scene from 1904 where the master Antonín Dvořák is due to arrive at any moment…

For listings and to book tickets for the classical concerts (which also include entry to the museum beforehand) at Villa Amerika:Prague concerts.